Pressure-sensitive adhesives (“PSAs”) are defined herein as adhesives which exhibit permanent tack at room temperature. This property allows pressure-sensitive adhesives to adhere tenaciously upon application with only light finger pressure. PSAs have a balance of properties: adhesion, cohesion, stretchiness, and elasticity. Adhesion refers both to immediate adhesion to a surface and to the bond strength which develops upon application of pressure (often measured as “peel strength”). Cohesion refers to the “shear strength” or resistance of the applied PSA to failure when subjected to shearing forces. Stretchiness refers to the ability to elongate under low stresses. Elasticity refers to a property wherein the material exhibits a retractive force when stretched and retracts when the force is released.
Pressure-sensitive adhesives have many diverse applications including applications in optical products. For certain optical applications, it is useful to match the refractive index (RI) of the adhesive to that of the substrate to which it is applied. This matching of refractive index enhances the optical properties of the construction by reducing glare and reflectance. Glare is defined herein as the average reflectance over a range of 450–650 nanometers and reflectance is defined herein as the process where a fraction of the radiant flux incident on a surface is returned into the same hemisphere whose base is the surface and which contains the incident radiation (see Handbook of Optics, 2nd ed., McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1995). Often, the substrate is a polymeric material having refractive indexes in the range of 1.48 to 1.65, for example, polymethyl(meth)acrylate (PMMA) has a RI of 1.489; polycarbonate has a RI of 1.585; and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has a RI of 1.64.
Known PSAs have RIs of about 1.47 or less. If these PSAs are used in optical applications, glare and reflectance may occur.
Therefore, the need exists for pressure-sensitive adhesives which have high refractive indexes.